Martinon's Ravel is the most French among the great performa
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For decades advocates of Jean Martinon's Debussy and Ravel have lamented how little respect EMI seemed to have for his recordings, which were as often as not withheld. That omission was gradually remedied, and all of these Ravel items with the Orchestre de Paris from the Seventies have seen bargain issues already. However, here we have the whole lot in good remasterings for the cost of a single full-price CD.
Why pick Martinon in pllace of his chief copetitors, Boulez, Monteux, Ansermet, and Munch, great conductors all? The main reason is the sheer Frenchess of the playing -- brilliant, sharp, piquant -- since the other three conductors lead American and English orchestras. But just as important is Martinon's natural, knowing way with this music. He is less clinical than Boulez, less prone to hysteria than Munch, more alert and vivid than Monteux. One notable feature is that Martinon eschews any whiff of dated sophistication and boulevadier gloss.
It's a shame that Martinon fell into obscurity after his less than stellar tenure with the Chicago Sym., but that's no reason not to raise him as high as he deserves, principally in French music. Even if you own these familiar works several times over, Martinon is not to be missed, especially at this price.
The complete contents of the threee CDs are as follows:
Valses nobles et sentimentales
Boléro
Shéhérazade - Ouverture de féerie
Rapsodie Espagnole
Ma Mère l'Oye
Le Tombeau de Couperin
Daphnis et Chloé
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Alborada del gracioso (Miroirs No. 4)
Une barque sur l'océan
Menuet antique
La Valse
"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1